The date set for 10-day broadcast bans of Sözcü TV and Halk TV; 4 people imprisoned pending trial in LeMan investigation; Hamza Kaan released pending trial; top court rules for rights violation in Evrensel daily case

The date set for 10-day broadcast bans of Sözcü TV and Halk TV

The 10-day suspension of Sözcü TV and Halk TV broadcasts imposed by the Radio and Television Supreme Council (RTÜK) on the charge of “inciting the public to hatred and hostility” will take effect on July 8.

The Council had imposed a 10-day suspension on Sözcü TV on March 27 for broadcasting live coverage of protests that erupted following the imprisonment of İstanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu. The penalty, which was set to take effect on 1 June, was appealed to court, which unanimously ruled to suspend its enforcement.

This decision was overturned by the Ankara 7th Administrative Court. Following the overturning of the decision, RTÜK announced that Sözcü TV's broadcasts would be suspended for 10 days starting 8 July.

If the channel receives another penalty under the same provision within a year, its license will be revoked.

Meanwhile, another opposition channel, Halk TV, which was also given a 10-day suspension by RTÜK, was notified of the decision.

If the court does not issue an order to suspend the broadcast ban decision in response to Halk TV's appeal, Halk TV's screens will be blacked out for 10 days starting at 11:59 p.m. on Tuesday, 8 July.

If the channel receives another penalty under the same provision within a year, its license will also be revoked.

The Council had imposed a 10-day suspension on Halk TV for broadcasting the program “Sinem Fıstıkoğlu ile Sansürsüz” (Uncensored with Sinem Fıstıkoğlu), claiming that it contained statements “inciting the public to hatred and hostility.”

RTÜK also imposed a 10-day suspension on the program “4 Soru 4 Yanıt” (4 Questions, 4 Answers) during the live broadcast of CHP Chairman Özgür Özel's Saraçhane Rally, citing Özel's remarks against President Erdoğan as grounds for “targeting personal rights and polarizing discourse.”

In the program “Para Politika” hosted by Özlem Gürses on Sözcü TV, Dr. Murat Kubilay's comments regarding a cartoon published in satirical LeMan magazine, which began with the statement, “There has been a 200-year struggle between enlightenment and anti-enlightenment in Turkey,” In response to these remarks, RTÜK imposed a 5 percent administrative fine and 5 program suspension penalties, citing the grounds that the statement “divides society into enlightened and reactionary groups” and “fuels polarization,” as well as violating “national and moral values.”

Four people imprisoned pending trial in LeMan investigation

Zafer Aknar, Editor-in-Chief of LeMan magazine, graphic designer Cebrail Okçu, cartoonist Doğan Pehlevan, and Ali Yavuz, director of the publishing house, who were arrested on 30 June as part of an investigation launched over a cartoon published in the magazine on 26 June allegedly depicting the Prophet Muhammad and Prophet Moses, were sent to pre-trial detention on 2 July.

Aknar, Okçu, Pehlevan, and Yavuz, who had been in custody since 30 June, were first taken to Bayrampaşa State Hospital for a health check and then to the İstanbul Courthouse in Çağlayan. The four were referred to court with a request for pre-trial detention.

Pehlevan was charged with “inciting the public to hatred and hostility” and “insulting the President,” while the other three suspects were charged with “inciting the public to hatred and hostility.” Yavuz, Okçu, Aknar, and Pehlevan were imprisoned pending trial by the court.

As to the investigation, Justice Minister Yılmaz Tunç said that arrest warrants had also been issued for two people abroad.

Following a lynching campaign launched on social media over the alleged depiction of the Prophet Muhammad and Prophet Moses, a group attacked the magazine's headquarters on 30 June. The İstanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office launched an investigation against the magazine on the charge of “publicly denigrating religious values embraced by a segment of the public.” LeMan magazine, in a statement, denied that the cartoon depicted Prophet Muhammad and defended the claims as “malicious.” Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya shared footage on his social media account showing some suspects being detained with their hands cuffed behind their backs and barefoot.

Constitutional Court rules for rights violation in Evrensel daily case

The Constitutional Court (AYM) has ruled that the TL 10,000 fine imposed by the appellate court in a case brought by state-run Turkish Radio and Television (TRT) against the Evrensel newspaper for a news article published in 2019 about set workers was a “violation of freedom of expression.”

The website patronlarinensesindeyiz.org published a news article on 9 January 2019, titled “Set emekçileri anlattı: 9 hafta çalışmaya 3 haftalık ücret" (Set workers speak out: Nine weeks of work for 3 weeks' pay.) The article included an interview with two individuals, who worked on the set of the D.E. series, which was broadcast on TRT. The article alleged that physical violence was used against a child actor to make them cry. On 16 January 2019, Evrensel reported on these allegations in both its print edition and on evrensel.net under the headline “[D.E.] allegations of violence against child actor on set.”

TRT filed a lawsuit seeking 20,000 TL in moral damages, claiming that the news report had “damaged its personal reputation.” The İstanbul 22nd Civil Court of First Instance, which heard the case, dismissed the lawsuit on 5 November 2019. TRT appealed to the appellate court, and the 4th Civil Chamber of İstanbul Regional Court of Appeals, overturned the decision of the İstanbul 22nd Civil Court of First Instance and ordered the newspaper to pay TL 10,000 in moral damages.

The Constitutional Court ruled that the newspaper's report on allegations of poor working conditions on TV series sets and the exposure of child actors to violence contributed to a debate in the public interest and that the Evrensel newspaper's freedom of expression had been violated.

Journalists covering the Saraçhane rally detained

Following the rally organized by CHP in Saraçhane, İstanbul on 1 July, police intervened with pepper spray against students at Bozdoğan Arch. Forty-two people, including journalists, were detained.

The CHP held a rally in Saraçhane on the 100th day of 23 March, when İstanbul Metropolitan Municipality (İBB) Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu and many other politicians were arrested.

After the rally ended, police intervened with pepper spray against those attempting to walk from Saraçhane Park to Bozdoğan Arch, and many were detained with their hands cuffed behind their backs.

The police detained Cumhuriyet newspaper reporters İrem Karataş, Erdem Öktem, and Engin Deniz İpek, who were covering the rally. Karataş and Öktem were released shortly afterward. Karataş shared that her colleague Engin Deniz İpek was still in custody and had been taken to the İstanbul Security Directorate on Vatan Street.

Engin Deniz İpek was released after undergoing a health check and giving a statement.

Threats against journalist Alican Uludağ

Journalist Alican Uludağ was threatened over his news item on allegations of torture at a gendarmerie station in Reyhanlı, Hatay.

Uludağ received a message on 29 June from a U.S. phone number. The message read, “You must have heard of the C31K group. If you have not, you will soon be in trouble. We will torture you like they did at the gendarmerie station.”

Upon receiving the message via the internet, Uludağ stated that he suspected his phones were being tapped illegally.

Access to two journalists' X accounts blocked

Access to the X accounts of journalists Altan Sancar and Ali Macit has been blocked.

Both journalists were closely following the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (İBB) case, in which Ekrem İmamoğlu and many of his team members are detained.

Trial of journalist Umut Taştan adjourned until December

The seventh hearing in the trial of journalist Umut Taştan, who was forcefully detained while covering the news, and 50 other defendants on charges of “participating in illegal meetings and demonstrations without weapons and refusing to disperse despite warnings” and “resisting to prevent the execution of duty” was held at the İstanbul 44th Criminal Court of First Instance on 3 July 2025.

Taştan and his lawyers were present at the hearing, which was monitored by P24. 

Taştan denied the charges against him and requested acquittal. 

The court adjourned the trial until 17 December 2025.

Journalist Hamza Kaan released pending trial

The first hearing in the trial of imprisoned journalist Hamza Kaan, who writes under the pseudonym Bilge Aksu, on the charge of “membership in a terrorist organization” was held at the İstanbul 14th High Criminal Court on 3 July 2025.

Kaan attended the hearing via judicial videoconferencing system from the Eskişehir Type H Prison, where he is being held. Kaan's lawyers were present in the courtroom. P24 monitored the hearing.

After his identity was confirmed, Kaan presented his defense, denied the charges, and requested his release.

The prosecutor requested that Kaan remain in pre-trial detention on the grounds that “there is a risk of flight due to the nature of the crime he is accused of.”

Kaan's lawyers requested his release, stating that the elements of the crime he is accused of did not form.

The court decided to release Kaan under judicial supervision, which will include reporting to the authorities once a week and a ban on leaving the country.

The trial was adjourned until 7 October 2025.

Abdullah Kaya handed jail term

The final hearing in the trial of journalist Abdullah Kaya on the charge of “terrorism propaganda” over his social media posts, was held at the Ağrı 2nd High Criminal Court on 3 July 2025.

Kaya did not attend the hearing, but his lawyer, Zülfü Polat, was present in the courtroom.

The court sentenced Kaya to 1 year and 3 months in prison for the impugned crime and deferred the sentence.

The prosecutor changes opinion in the case of Sultan Eylem Keleş

The 10th hearing in the trial of journalist Sultan Eylem Keleş and four others on charges of “insulting a public official” and “resisting the execution of duty” was held at the İstanbul 72nd Criminal Court of First Instance on 1 July 2025.

The defendants did not attend the hearing, but their lawyers were present. P24 monitored the hearing.

In the previous hearing, the court had referred the case file to an expert for examination of the footage from the day of the incident. Keleş's lawyer, Hazal Sümeli, stated that they did not accept the adverse findings in the expert report submitted to the case file.

At the hearing on 26 January 2024, the prosecutor had presented their final opinion on the case and requested that all defendants be convicted on both charges. After the expert report was submitted to the case file, the prosecutor changed their opinion on the case and requested that the defendants be acquitted of the charge of “insulting a public official” and be punished for the charge of “resisting in order to prevent the execution of duty.”

The defendants' lawyers requested time to respond to the opinion.

The court accepted the request and adjourned the trial until 17 July 2025.

Die Welt reporter Deniz Yücel's trial adjourned until December

The 11th hearing in the trial of German Die Welt reporter Deniz Yücel, who is charged with “publicly denigrating the Turkish nation and the Republic of Turkey” and “insulting the president,” was held on at the İstanbul 2nd Criminal Court of First Instance 1 July 2025.

The lawyers for both sides were present at the hearing. P24 monitored the hearing.

The lawyer representing the plaintiff, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, stated that the complaints were ongoing and requested that Yücel be punished.

Yücel's lawyer, Hazal Sümeli, said, “My client lives in Germany. We request that his defense be heard through a legal request for assistance.”

The court ruled that there was no need to write another letter regarding the request for a letter rogatory, as it had previously been rejected by Germany.

The court decided to wait for the arrest warrant against Yücel to be executed and adjourned the trial until 23 December 2025.

Democratic Modernity trial adjourned until December

The seventh hearing in the trial of Demokratik Modernite magazine Managing Editor Ramazan Yurttapan, editor Haydar Ergül and contributors Cihan Doğan, Musa Şanak and Nazan Üstündağ on the charge of “denigrating the Turkish nation, the state of the Republic of Turkey and the institution and organs of the state” was held at the İstanbul 2nd Criminal Court of First Instance on 1 July 2025.

No one attended the hearing.

The trial was adjourned until 23 December 2025.

The indictment cites statements made in eight articles published in the 37th issue of the magazine as evidence for the charges against Yurttapan, Ergül, and the writers.

BirGün executives appear before judge

The trial of BirGün daily Board Chairman İbrahim Aydın, birgün.net Publication Coordinator Uğur Koç, and Editor-in-Chief Yaşar Gökdemir on charges of “marking those assigned with the fight against terrorism as target” and “publicly insulting a public official” for reporting on pro-government Sabah newspaper’s story on the visit of İstanbul Chief Public Prosecutor Akın Gürlek got underway at the İstanbul 23rd High Criminal Court on 30 June 2025.

The hearing, which was monitored by P24, was attended by Aydın, Koç, Gökdemir and their lawyers. Numerous journalists also monitored the hearing.

After the journalists presented their defenses, their lawyer Ali Deniz Ceylan argued that the case had no legal basis. Ceylan said, "The only reason this case was brought is because the plaintiff is Akın Gürlek. There is no legal basis for this case. Despite Uğur Koç repeatedly stating during the prosecution's interrogation that he was the author of the work, İbrahim Aydın and Yaşar Gökdemir, who bear no legal responsibility, are also being tried. The prosecutor who prepared this indictment does not know Article 11 of the Press Law."

Lawyer Tolgay Güvercin also requested acquittal, stating that the elements of both charges against his clients did not form.

The prosecutor requested that the file be sent to the parties for the preparation of the final opinion on the case.

The court decided to keep in place the international travel ban on Koç and Gökdemir; send the case file to the prosecutor's office to file their opinion on the case and adjourned the trial until 22 September 2025.

At least 34 journalists and media workers in prison

Following the imprisonment of four LeMan employees and release of journalist Hamza Kaan, as of 4 July 2025, there are at least 34 journalists and media workers in pre-trial detention or imprisonment in Turkey.

The full list can be accessed here.